Indianapolis Colts General Manager Chris Ballard speaks to the press in a pre-draft press conference Monday, April 21, 2025 at the Colts headquarters, the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Favorite Draft Pick for Colts Unveiled

Originally posted on Indianapolis Colts on SI
By Drake Wally | Last updated May 4, 2025 10:51 AM ET

A little over a week ago, the Indianapolis Colts had plenty of needs heading into the 2025 NFL draft, but one name stood above them all: Penn State's tight end Tyler Warren. Warren was the recipient of the 2025 Mackey Award, which is given to college football's best tight end.

The Colts desperately needed help in this regard given that their previous group underwhelmed. They also lost the leading receiver in the 2024 tight end room to the Philadelphia Eagles, Kylen Granson.

Pro Football Focus gave their best draft picks for each of the 32 teams, logging Warren for Indianapolis. Trevor Sikkema broke it down like this.

"This pick couldn't be more perfect — it was the most common mock draft selection for the Colts throughout the draft process. The only thing that could have stopped it from becoming a reality was Warren going off the board earlier. The Penn State product earned an impressive 93.4 PFF receiving grade in 2024 and will immediately be the top tight end on Indianapolis' roster, filling the team's biggest need with a potential star."

Sikkema isn't wrong, the tight end position can help any quarterback in the league if there's efficiency present. Warren will greatly assist Shane Steichen's offense in many ways, as Warren is a multi-faceted offensive weapon who can punish any NFL defense.

Warren's statistics have been mentioned a lot, but not without good reason. he dominated college football and was overwhelming for defenses to handle. Warren caught 104 passes for 1,233 receiving yards and 12 total touchdowns (eight receiving).

#Colts missed out by a couple of picks on Brock Bowers last year.

This year they had the #Bears take Loveland as the first TE, didn't trade up and still landed Tyler Warren. Feels like a win to me pic.twitter.com/JuLEUaMU6g
— (@LukeVerkamp) April 25, 2025

Warren is also a solid blocker and can be utilized in many ways for Steichen, who prides himself on savvy play calling for an offense that has needed a top tight end to operate at the zenith of its potential.

The Colts are in a critical season where they have to make something happen, something more than a middle-of-the-road record and no postseason competition. The good news is Chris Ballard has done whatever necessary, starting with signing cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Camryn Bynum, as well as others.

However, hauling in eight new selections through the NFL draft is also a big step in the right direction, especially securing a potential future superstar in Warren. The pressure is already on for Warren to hit the ground running on day one.

It shouldn't be expected for Warren to take off like a rocket (in Brock Bowers fashion) as he gets adjusted to the speed of NFL defenses. But, given his importance to Indy's offense without taking a single snap, it's hard to imagine that Warren, by himself, won't outperform what the entire Colts' tight end position accomplished in 2024.

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This article first appeared on Indianapolis Colts on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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